Sovereign and the Shadow
by HipsterBubble
Summary: Syndra is bored. Yeah, Dark Sovereign, that lady champion. Zed on the other hand, needed some rest and comfort. In a fateful encounter, it might be fateful, who knows, they soon become attracted to each other by passing day. Can the two villains make their way out of Ionian standards and actually be loving and solve some conflicts?
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**I'm back with another fanfiction to satisfy you once more. :D This time it's a pairing I honestly shipped for like forever. 3 Enjoy this 1st chapter~! Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading too! -HB**

**Sona: So we're officially finished?**

**Hipster: Yeah.**

**Ahri: Hmph. That means that we can... *Winks and gives a sly smile***

**Sona: Don't write about this, Hipster~!**

**Hipster: Uhh... Yeah...**

**Ziggs: What about my shopping spree?!**

**Rumble: As long as we're stopped here, we can do anything... *Caresses Ziggs***

**Ziggs: Ah! N-No! W-Wait, Hipster! Stop this right here!**

**Hipster: Let's just take them all away and focus on this.**

**Enjoy~!**

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Chapter 1

The island state of Ionia has indeed fascinated many, but there would be another unique property to this particular place in Runeterra. Now begins a tale of-

"Wait! Stop! That's not how I want this to begin!" A female voice cackled its way through a megaphone.

Then what do you want me to do? (HipsterBubble at this point is absolutely flabbergasted and befuddled.)

"Let's take it my way." The voice stated, with a hint of amusement tinged to it. The scene you just read about shifts entirely to a definitely peaceful and green meadow with flowers dotted here and there. Welcome to this life. (Female voice talking from here on.)

Indeed it is boring up here above the island of Ionia, a certain prison now serves as another's palace. The Celestial Fortress has been the residence of a certain Ionian villain that has been brooding over her thoughts for who knows how long. Now let me tell you a story, because it's worth it here.

A long time ago, there was once a child with long silvery hair who could use magic. She was special among Ionians, special as in how they disregarded her and despised her. She would be stoned wherever she went, barely managing to survive and using her feeble magic to protect herself even a little. Well, that didn't stop her from being fragile and weak. She grew stronger by day, and managed to grow in her magical capabilities. She would throw around the people that threw stones at her and bash them into others, creating more havoc and pain wherever she went. Of course, the flimsy Ionian Elders had to "contain" her. She was imprisoned in a lovely castle far away from where the people lived in Ionia. She didn't like being stranded from the people she could kill. Wow. What a psychopath. I know right. So anyways, her life was pretty boring, especially with a senile old man who would teach her the ways of the just. Justice his butt. She grew tired of this life and wanted to grow in her ways of destruction. She promptly killed him off with her powers, but right before he died, he cursed her. Cursed her in the weirdest way possible. He cursed her to be stopped by one she loved truly, and until then, her powers would never grow, ever again. She disregarded the curse and made her prison her palace, disposed of the corpse and made sure to bring chaos in Ionia. Her power didn't decrease or increase in its extent from then on though, that made her wonder whether the curse was indeed real or not. She didn't care still, which was just stupid of herself. And so that was the story of the Dark Sovereign, Syndra. Maybe a little changed, but hey. This is the story of what happens after that.

The Celestial Fortress was definitely one of a kind type of a place in Ionia, but it never did satisfy Syndra's taste, it lacked something… She thought no more of this, and sat rather glumly on her throne. The Celestial Fortress was once a glorious place that radiated a certain aura to it, peace and perfection. It was furnished white and golden, the interiors garishly done, with ornate furniture and cleanly done walls and floors. When Syndra took over with her powers, The palace turned shades darker, with destroyed roofs and a feeling of destruction filled the air. The throne was once shining gold, but it became black right after the old man's death. Syndra trudged through the fortress and to the outdoors, to the plains of her island. She summoned one of her spheres and plucked off a glass of water from it. When she wasn't summoned by the Summoners for a game, she would use these spheres for utility and more sophisticated measures. This was one of those.

"What a wonderful day…. It's so boring up here… Any good idea for this day, my little dark orb?" Syndra often talked to her little minions, and obviously there were no replies. She exercised her powers every day, from moving the island freely to obtaining perfect balance. She excelled in all these. Walking up and down the path she always took, she looked down into the distance of Ionia. Lots of things had changed, but nothing interesting happened after all in this particularly boring place. She flopped on the soft grass, close to the edge of the island and looked into the blue skies. She sighed a little and soon fell asleep.

In the forests of Ionia, somewhere below the Celestial Palace, an armored and masked man trudged his way to the existing Shadow Guild that replaced Shen's. This man was Zed, unmistakably known for his mask and his group of followers that took over this particular part of Ionia. He was labeled villain, which he didn't mind, but he longed to reconcile with Shen. Some part of him really wanted to do that, while the other said that he needed revenge. Zed was peacefully taking a walk to take a breather from his bunch of people. A glass suddenly dropped from the sky and hit him on the head. It hit him hard. Zed groaned in pain, lying on the ground from the sheer force of how the glass just hit him. He looked up, rubbing his head. There was a huge island floating in the sky. He didn't know such a place existed in Ionia. He thought of this as a challenge and decided to climb his way up the island. How he was supposed to, he didn't know, but he was Zed, he was a Master of Shadows and he wouldn't back off from a challenge easy as this.


	2. Chapter 2: Encounter

**And here I am with chapter two of this fanfiction. Didn't really take THAT long, did I? xD I wish I could make this better, but hey. My descriptive-ness sucks. Ish. Yeah. Deal with it. Enjoy~! 3 -HB**

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Chapter 2

This was a bad idea. Certainly he didn't know that it'd be THAT high up in the air. Zed felt himself go numb from being so high in the air. He looked back at what happened in the last five minutes that made him in this position.

**_Ten Minutes Ago…_**

"Hmph. When did that ever get there?" Zed muttered to himself. He was standing right below the floating island. The island's jagged base was floating right above the pine treetops, barely managing not to graze the greenery. He was standing on top of a pine tree, quite close to the base of the island. He took a deep breath. He jumped up as high as he could, and indeed he managed to cling on to a ledge on the island. He smirked, thinking it was easy. Unfortunately his hand slipped. He dropped a few meters and managed to hold on. His muscled arms strained to hang on. His feet hanging perilously in the air, he dared not look down. He gingerly placed a hand on a rock above him. He pulled himself up probably around a meter above where he was.

**_Back to the Present._**

"God damn it, why did I ever think of something like this?" Zed muttered to himself. He couldn't do anything but to just hold on to the ledge he was barely on. His fingers were strained. He couldn't even call for help. What was he to do?

Meanwhile, at the top of the island, a silver haired champion was watering her plants. She had nothing to do and indeed she was bored. Syndra sat grumpily on one of her spheres and floated off. She did love her abode, but this was just boring as hell frozen over. She decided that she look around the bottom of her island, whether it was too low or maybe it was too high in the air, she just felt like it.

"Nothing to do… So much untouched power… What in the name of…" Syndra was muttering along until she saw someone struggling at the base of her island. She quickly zipped through the air as her spheres tried to keep up. She found this armor-clad man hanging on for his dear life on the base of her island. Wow.

Zed felt the presence of another person and looked back quickly. She was beautiful. Her silver-white hair was floating in the air, sitting on that sphere with such graceful air, and you know that romantic crap he was thinking.

"I'm sorry, but before you do anything or say anything… Could you please get me out of this state…?" Zed asked politely, and he was definitely ashamed that he, the leader of the Shadow ninjas had to ask this dainty maiden for help.

"With pleasure." Syndra used her Force of Will to lift him off and place him on one of her spheres. Zed's eyes grew wide with fear as all that happened. He made a mental note to cut out the "dainty maiden" part out.

"So… Um…. I believe this is your island?" Zed spoke up. It has been a while since he was in the company of another female, the last time he was ever with a lady would have been quite a while ago. Possibly before he kicked out Shen and his clan. Syndra smiled defiantly.

"Why, yes indeed. And you came along to spark up this boring day of mine…. Oh wait, before that, what is your name? Mine is Syndra, the Dark Sovereign, they call me." She smiled angelically, her purple eyes sparkling with energy. Zed almost melted there.

"I-I'm Zed… Master of the Shadows. I haven't seen this island here before so I decided to climb it. But I guess that was a little too foolish…" Zed looked away, his mask thankfully covering up his reddening face. Syndra stifled a laughter.

"I shouldn't be laughing at this… But never have I seen or heard of a man single-handedly trying to climb up my little territory. Now, would you be willing to be of my company for a little while?" Syndra asked him cheerfully. Her day was definitely going to get exciting. Zed nodded quickly, as the two quickly made their way to Syndra's fortress. Zed marveled at the size of the palace. It covered three-fourths of the entire island, the remainder used as a garden. He didn't know Syndra would even take care of plants, seeing how she treats her spheres.

"Do you… live alone?" Zed asked her carefully. Why did he just ask that? He had no clue why. He just felt like it. Dammit, Zed, so much for being smooth.

"I… do… Not until that… But anyways, we're here!" Syndra started off rather remorse but her sudden change in emotions perplexed the clueless ninja. Syndra promptly shook Zed off the sphere he was on, as Zed somersaulted his way and landed perfectly on the grassy land. Syndra floated down gracefully, her dark clothing fluttering in the wind.

Zed stood there wide-eyed. He had indeed never seen a structure so very ornate and huge. He didn't move for quite a while. Until Syndra grabbed his hand and dragged him along, with a sphere pushing from the back. Quite a scene, yes.

"Welcome aboard the Celestial Fortress or what I call it as Her Sovereign's Little Palace. HSLP for short. Maybe." Syndra grinned as she threw open the giant doors. The HSLP was huger on the inside, evidently, as the rooms were specifically enlarged to fit Syndra's little shenanigans when she was younger. The living room itself seemed to be able to keep all of Zed's ninja followers. Zed stood there, awestruck. There were doors far away in the room, and a single black throne protruded from the end of the rectangular room. Wooden mats were placed orderly on the floor, the walls strewn with paintings and scrolls and ancient whatnots. It was a huge party place, if the word party did exist those days.

"Woah… This is awesome! I could live here forever!" Zed exclaimed with absolute happiness. It wasn't easy leading that whole group of people down there while you're on the verge of almost being attacked by your best friend who turned against you just because you opened a box and beat him in combat. Well, that was Zed.

"I'm happy you like this place. Think of it as your sanctuary. I will welcome you always, and your people as well." Syndra stated. She was feeling an affinity for this man who she just met around ten minutes ago, sounds very much like Disney. Is Disney even available among League Champions? Anyways, she liked the fact that this was the Zed, the Zed that betrayed his own clan member for more power, although he did it out of pure jealousy, and he did not know what would happen, but still. Syndra was content, so to speak, that there was someone out there who knew her pain and burden and happiness. Only thing was that neither of them knew what to do next.


	3. Chapter 3: Openings

**Alright guys, I loved the reviews and reactions, thank you so much, I love you all. I know you've been waiting a while for this one, so please enjoy it even though it's kinda short. I'm sorry. Really. If this isn't what you expected. MY HUMBLEST APOLOGIES. But for now, enjoy~! -HB**

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Chapter 3

"So… Uh… Zed… Why do you wear a mask?" Syndra asked quickly, knowing that the atmosphere had gone silent for quite a while. They were sitting in one of the rooms of the palace, looking out through the doorway and gazing over Ionia while sipping some tea. Cherry blossoms were in bloom, and those little flowers flew around here and there through the air. Zed chuckled.

"To tell you my story, of how I came to be the betrayer and the Master of Shadows, you must understand my side of the story. You might want to see what's under this mask, but I'd rather not you see that. I'm sorry." Zed explained a little. His red eyes seemed to have taken a friendlier shade, that made it seem as if he was smiling. Syndra nodded avidly.

"Alright, so a long time ago, when I was a young kiddo with no mask on, I was living in Ionia with another ninja. I was adopted into his family and was learning the way of the ninja with him. He-" Zed was cut off as Syndra quickly interjected.

"Was he Shen? I see him so many times wandering around here. He seemed nice." She said suddenly. Zed laughed a little.

"He's nice, but he can be cruel if has to. Anyways, so we were kids but we had a fierce competition. He was always better than I was. I thought he had taken a liking to Akali those days, but apparently he was interested in someone else quite far away, he had never told me and will never. I was always jealous that he had our teacher's love the most and he was always better than me. It never made sense. I thought I could do better. But one day, it all changed. It was during the dead of the night, where no one was awake, only I was. I had sneaked off into master's house and stolen a box. It was really ornate box. Black. Decorated with black jewels. Dark as the blackest night I've ever seen. It seemed to call for me. I was foolish. I opened it immediately, finding a horrible nightmare in it. I fought it. I tried to. In the end all I had ended up with was injuries that left unsealing scars and red eyes and this strange power to control shadows. Well. That was just the good part of it. What's worse was that my teacher did not even consider me as a person any more since then, and Shen too had hated me. I was branded a traitor and absolute disgrace. I ran away." Zed paused once more; he needed to organize his thoughts for a moment. Talking about his past was something he hadn't revealed to anyone, but for some reason he told it all to Syndra. He didn't know why.

"Would you like some tea? I thought you might need some…" Syndra asked politely, knowing her guest was nervous and all. He nodded, and she quickly willed her two cups, a teapot that had been on the stove for quite a while, and some tea leaves in front of her. The objects clattered before her and she quickly made some for herself and Zed. She handed the small cup to Zed, who graciously sipped it by turning back and lifting his mask a few seconds and coughed a little.

"After I had run away, I resolved to overthrow them. I had had enough of that nonsense that it's all about balance, and whatsoever. Years passed until I heard my master's passing and by this time Shen and I had grown a lot. I had gathered a few of my closest followers who were trained by me and invaded Shen's fortress in the middle of the night. A massacre, that's what it was. Shen had gotten away, he had given me another scar to live with, while I had taken what he had. He ran away to the Kinkou Order and I had taken over my master's abode and fortress. Thus was the existence of my Shadow Guild. Oh right, I had worn this mask ever since I became master of the Shadow Guild. Covering up myself from enemies and to not let them know who I was. That's my story. Apparently I'm a villain." Zed ended that with a happy note, presumably. Syndra too was labeled villain.

"Were you cursed when you killed them all?" Syndra asked, she was curious as to know if she was the only person cursed for her crimes.

"Well the master cursed me. I guess. He cursed me that I would be walking on the face of the earth alone, until there existed a person as dark as I was. Not sure how that's going to be possible." Zed muttered, but he had a vague idea who this would be. Syndra wondered about that too.

"Do you talk to Shen?" Syndra asked, but regretted asking that, perhaps it was too personal. Zed seemed to look at her with interest.

"Only after when we go against each other in Summoner's Rift. Not much talking. Still hostile." Zed managed to say. He always wanted to be close to Shen. Not this. Now he couldn't really do much about it.

"I see. Well… For me, I had no one to ever call friend or anything. All except this grumpy old man who restrained my powers and did nothing. I hated him. He hated me. We both hated each other. For a while in my life, my mission was to kill that stupid man and live freely. I got what I wanted. But I'm alone. I have no parents, no relatives, nothing at all. For you, you have someone who knows you. Someone who might still care for you. How does it feel?" Syndra asked suddenly, without knowing she became bitter and asked that question. She totally didn't mean to say that. Zed was a little shocked. He didn't expect this.

"You didn't tell me about yourself. I'd like to hear about you too. We're both villains. And orphans. I'm sure we can relate to each other. So please, tell me." Zed kindly asked, he seemed to be smiling under that mask. So Syndra told him the tale of her predicament and such, (If you need reference, please go to the first chapter or something.) and her curse too. She didn't leave out anything. Zed's red eyes seemed to soften a little in that dark mask. Syndra looked away into the far grounds of Ionia, where she'd never go, for she was exiled here. House arrest. Something like that. She felt tears forming in her eyes, for she despised the fate she was held to. Her tears flowed freely, letting the pain and all flow from her bottled feelings that she could tell someone. Someone who she just met. This someone who understood her. Someone dear to her. Someone she loved.

Zed figured he needed to comfort this poor champion. He faltered at first, but he inched closer and put his arms around Syndra and hugged her gently. She looked at him and the mask that blocked whatever face was behind it. She leaned herself in towards Zed and cried.

"There, now. You must have been feelings this way for quite a while. Cry as much as you want, it's what you need for now." Zed whispered, and he stroke her hair as she held tightly to the ninja. It was what the two needed. Comfort. Someone who they could relate to. Friendship. The afternoon had already gone by quickly, it was closing to sunset. The orange beams of light shone onto the Celestial Fortress, shining on the two champions who were secluded from the rest of Ionia, in a tight embrace. Little petals from cherry blossoms were still fluttering around the air, and a stray one found its way out of the fortress.


	4. Chapter 4: Warming

**Hey guys~! It's HipsterBubble here on a massive update... I think. :D I finally managed to get back with civilization and so I am online for a while with this 2 bar wifi that manages to be amazing. ;D I feel accomplished that I managed to write this chapter purely in the subways, I was on my iPad typing furiously. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter after such a long wait! Reviews are always appreciated! **

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**Chapter 4**

Somehow the day had passed and the next morning, Zed had no idea someone was with him in a bed. Syndra had no clue she was with someone in her bed. The two were cuddled up closely, entwined arms and legs. The chirping of some thrushes roused Zed from his sweet sleep. His eyes opened slowly to the sight of sleek white hair in front of his face. He sighed. White hair... Wait. He shot back up quickly and found Syndra buried in blankets beside him with her legs still tangled with Zed's. He tumbled out of the bed and found his clothes still on except his shirt. Syndra was also wearing what she was wearing yesterday.

"Holy shit..." Zed simply shook his head and sat on the bed. Syndra's spheres were not with her and her black clothes were always so very revealing. Zed blushed a little at that sight and covered the sleeping sovereign in blankets. He pulled on a shirt and walked out of the room, smiling at the thought of Syndra being with him. Yes, he was in love.

"Mphhmmm... Where am I...?" Syndra slowly woke up, stretching vigorously as she looked around the room. She pushed the blankets away and stood on the wooden floor. She liked the coolness of the wood and started floating. She willed the doors apart and started her way around the house. Floating around here and there, she started to smell food. Food. One of those things that urged her to live. For a League Champion, her goals were pretty simple. Eat, sleep, play, repeat. She floated off into the direction of this pleasant smell and stood in front of a room. She pushed them open silently, finding a person cooking away diligently in front of the stove. The man was stirring all sorts of things in a frenzy, his dark brown hair bobbing in whichever direction his body went through. Syndra trudged closer to the man working away in the kitchen. She placed a hand on his shoulder. The man turned and placed a wooden spoon on her neck. His red eyes brightened with fright. Syndra flinched.

"Oh.. Uh.. Syndra! I-I didn't expect you to be awake! I was.. Making breakfast... I-I'm sorry for this!" Zed quickly apologized, lowering his spoon quickly and having the expression of the cutest kitten in the world to Syndra, only his red eyes seemed to be cute enough and his scarred face was good enough as well. Syndra laughed a little. She took a spoon and looked at the contents in the pots and pans. Normal breakfast food. Zed smiled and took them off the fire. Syndra lifted the rest of them and set them on the table. Who needs plates? The two sat closely at the table and stared at each other.

"So... Uh... Zed... Where exactly did you sleep? I was worried there would be no place for you..." Syndra popped the question, fearing the worst. Zed's face brightened at that question and he grinned sheepishly.

"I-uh... I s-slept in y-your bed... Next to you..." Zed stammered so much in one sentence. Syndra's eyes widened and her face started to turn even redder. She couldn't believe it. She and Zed in bed together. What if he did something to her?! Her imagination started going wild.

"D-did you-" Syndra started to ask to which Zed was attentive to.

"No! I didn't!" Zed answered quickly, guessing what the question would have been. Syndra sighed. Zed therefore was not aiming for such things. Good. Syndra took a spoonful of the food, trying to change some atmosphere here. Zed followed. It was good food, tasted rich and amazing. Maybe ninjas all went through a home economics class.

"Y-you're a great cook! Better than my cooking for sure.." Syndra tried to change the subject from their event of sleeping together. Zed was still blushing. He tried to go along with the subject, eating as much as he could and nodding to what she said. Syndra and Zed both could feel the awkwardness in the atmosphere. It was just too unbearable. Cutlery clattering, plates filled with food that tasted amazing, and two champions that were villains who somehow liked each other in a way they didn't know. Syndra was in dire need of help, possibly the help of anybody if possible. The island was just too far for anyone to reach or even travel to, too high up in the air. Yes, the two were suffering in the worst way ever. Cute yet awkward. What every romance writer wants to evoke. No? Just me? Alright. Back to the story.

"So, Zed. How many followers do you have?" Syndra initiated the switch of subjects again. Zed seemed relieved of this.

"I have around 650 ninjas that have betrayed the other clan, which is Shen's, and joined my side. We invade a lot of Ionia and take whatever we need. It's a dangerous way of life, I know still, it's sometimes pretty alright living against the harsh rules of the Council. Irelia and Karma had to banish my people and I. You as well, Syndra, have been banished due to this Council. Imminent danger is what we are often described as." Zed explained such things with a grin. How he could explain that they were basically hard-ass criminals so easily, Syndra never knew. She started to laugh. Zed's red eyes brightened a little. He liked how she treated all this so flippantly, like he did.

"People don't understand, don't they?" Syndra floated her sphere around her hand. "With great power comes great reponsibility, no?" Obviously she wasn't quite responsible (HipsterBubble greatly regrets speaking this). Zed laughed as well, and the awkwardness started fading away. They could feel their malicious intents being compatible. They were perhaps the best combination in the entire continent of Runeterra. His Death Mark and her Unleashed Power. (Syndra loves imagining this.) Somehow they started talking about their experience in the Fields. Breakfast was long over and yet they were sitting at the table still talking and eating a little. Their loud chatter went on until noon. At that point did Zed realize that he had get back to his people. He stood up and grinned at the mage.

"Syndra. I think I need to go back now. It's been such a great time. I didn't think we'd get along so well." Zed spoke in a low voice that made Syndra fall for him more. You know that charming low sexy voice without that mask. Syndra couldn't help it at all. Yeah.

"Uh-uhm I-I had a really great time too!" She had to sound like an idiot. Stammering and all. She cursed her luck in the ways she spoke. Zed smiled a little at that. She didn't want to say goodbye so early. They were just getting along, and now they had to part. Typical romance plots. Zed walked up to the Syndra that was spacing out at all her thoughts and what she should do and say. Zed found that cute. Kinda. He reached his arms around her and held her in a bear hug. Syndra was hyperventilating by this time. She couldn't simply imagine that he had hugged her.

"Z-Zed! What's the matter?" Syndra tried to speak while being in his grasp. Zed pressed his face against Syndra's shoulder. He loved her so much, it was a new emotion for such a long time. Syndra felt her heart pounding, and at that time she didn't know what she was feeling. Love? You can't expect such feelings to be in the amazing Master of Shadows and the Dark Sovereign. Zed let go of Syndra, not able to kiss her yet (He was timid, I'm sure - quote from Syndra). She looked at him once more, and he stared at her too. (More like they spaced out in front of each other)

"I guess... This is goodbye for now." Zed muttered disappointedly. Syndra nodded sadly. The two held their hands unknowingly and slowly let go like some love crazed characters in a musical. Zed walked out into the sunlight and slowly sank into his shadow. He waved at her until he disappeared completely. A single tear fell from the Sovereign's face.

"I'm sure we'll meet again... Right?" She whispered as she felt the warm spring breeze make its way to her land. She slipped back into her palace, and hoped for that day they would meet again.


End file.
